Head coach Jim Davis has announced the addition of assistant
coach Laquanda Dawkins to his coaching staff in June of 2014.

Dawkins will step in as an assistant coach and assume the
responsibilities of coaching the wing position players as well as
other off-court duties.

Prior to Tech, Dawkins served the last four seasons as the head
women's basketball coach at Southern Polytechnic State University,
an NAIA Division 1 University. She led Southern Polytechnic State,
a member of the Southern States Athletic Conference, to an
84–43 overall record.

Southern Poly discontinued its athletics department
following the 2013-14 season after the Board of Regents of the
University System of Georgia decided on a consolidation
plan that will merge the university with Kennesaw State University
(KSU).

"Our athletics staff were in positions where Kennesaw State and
Southern Poly merged," Dawkins said. "We were informed in February
that our athletic programs were going to be discontinued, and I and
other coaches were given the opportunity to look for other
employment. I had a chance to consult with my mentors who know
Coach Davis and they made recommendations on my behalf. Coach Davis
reached out to me, I visited and interviewed, and I really enjoyed
the process. I was offered other job opportunities, but the Tech
position felt right, and I am excited for this opportunity."

Dawkins is in her 15th year of coaching women's basketball at
the collegiate level.

In her first season as a collegiate head coach in 2010-11,
Dawkins led Southern Poly to its second consecutive NAIA Division I
Women's Basketball National Championship and a 29-5 overall record.
The Hornets won their second straight Southern States Athletic
Conference Tournament title and the SSAC Eastern Division crown. On
Dec. 12, 2010, Dawkins coached SPSU to its first-ever win over a
NCAA Division I team, a 53-16 exhibition victory at Winthrop
University.

Prior to joining Southern Poly, Dawkins was the recruiting
coordinator at Winthrop for four campaigns from 2006-10. Her
admirable recruiting skills and on-court coaching duties helped the
Eagles achieve one of their best seasons in school history, which
featured an appearance in the 2009 Women's National Invitation
Tournament. In 2009-10, Winthrop finished sixth nationally in field
goal percentage and 25th in scoring defense. During her time with
the Eagles, they posted back-to-back winning seasons in the Big
South Conference for the first time in the history of the program.
In 2007-08, Winthrop ended third in the country in defensive field
goal percentage, had its best start in school history as an NCAA
Division I program and established a school record for wins (20) in
a season at any level. Also when Dawkins was with the Eagles, they
finished above .500 in conference play for the first time and
appeared in three straight semifinal games of the conference
tournament.

From 2003-06, Dawkins was the recruiting coordinator at
Florida International University. In her three seasons there,
Florida International compiled 48 wins and the 2005-06 team, behind
the firepower of first-team all-conference selection Lasma
Jekabsone, advanced to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference
Tournament and made a fifth appearance in the WNIT. The Golden
Panthers hosted their second postseason game in 2006, a
preliminary-round, overtime victory over the Big East Conference's
University of Cincinnati before falling at crosstown rival the
University of Miami in the following round.

Prior to taking the position at FIU, Dawkins' first four years
out of college were spent on the coaching staffs at Gardner-Webb
University and the University of Iowa, where she helped lead the
Hawkeyes to the Big Ten Conference Tournament title in 2001.

A standout performer at the University of North Carolina, the
Tar Heels captured three Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament
crowns in 1994-95, 1996-97 and 1997-98 and the AAC regular-season
championship in 1997. While at North Carolina, Dawkins was named to
the ACC Academic Honor Roll and received the team's Coaches
Award.

Dawkins earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education
from UNC in 1999 and later received a Master of Science in physical
education at Florida International in 2006. She is also a 2008
graduate of the NCAA Black Coaches & Administrators Achieving
Coaching Excellence (ACE) Program. Dawkins is an active member of
the BCA and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.

Originally from of Shelby, N.C., Dawkins has had her high school
jersey retired by Crest Senior High School.